Contrition
by Rannison
Summary: Saffron is defeated, reverted back to an infant. A corrupted noble ascends the throne and reigns over Mount Phoenix but what's more, he wants Ranma dead. Now Kiima sets off to Japan to investigate his motive, but fate throws in a twist. Please R&R.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: Most of the contents belong solely to Rumiko Takahashi. This story is being made purely for entertainment purposes, and gives me no profit at all. Please do not sue me…ok?

Author's Note: Hello again, dear readers! This particular story deals with romance, action, and hopefully as little heartbreak as possible -. The pairing is Ranma and Kiima...that's right, you can pull your chins back up now!

As this is a...well, unique idea (if I may say so myself), I'd like to get some feedback if possible. So please, if you have any questions, comments, concerns, flames, anything at all, please email me at hopefully I haven't forgotten anything . Please enjoy!

- -

Contrition

Prologue: Unexpected Ally

A Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction by Rannison

- -

"I love you..."

He wasn't even aware that he had just voiced aloud the only thought on his mind, the one phrase he had never been able to bring himself to say before it was too late.

He wasn't aware of anything much at all.

A series of clicking noises rang out obsessively, getting closer with every second. Ranma didn't need to look up to recognize the sound of talons clacking against the stone floor. He looked anyway.

A pair of cold, piercing eyes looked at him, almost through him, as if in an attempt to pierce into his very soul. Kiima.

In that second, Ranma was prepared to die. He had failed to save his fiancé. Divine justice. He would've laughed at the irony had he the strength to do so.

But that second was gone as quickly as it came, and behind the despair came something that Ranma had never in his life experienced before, something that made his logic and rational mind curl away from in fear, an emotion that raged against his very core and being. Complete and utter hate. Unconditional, total, rough and unrefined animosity.

Even as this unfamiliar feeling was building up, Kiima unsheathed her sword. The sentries behind her, lined up in two rows and all carrying spears decorated with the Phoenix emblem, raised their weapons at level with Ranma's heart.

She spun the hilt in her hand, and drove the blade into the stone before her.

No one had expected such an action, least of all Ranma, so everyone remained frozen in their positions. And when Ranma looked into Kiima's eyes, he saw neither anger nor hatred; there was only wary respect.

Akane was gone.

When he realized that, his head whipped up and anger was springing up within him again. But Kiima was not there.

The scenery had changed quite suddenly, and Ranma suddenly realized he was dreaming. He was completely conscious in thoughts, though. He knew he was reliving his worst nightmare that had almost come true, but this was no longer a part of that.

He didn't know why, but his intuition told him he should be running. Never one to doubt his instinct as a martial artist, he began to run. He was on a crossbeam, and judging from his surroundings, he was in a construction site. The sun had just set, but darkness was claiming the skies at a rate that made his stomach lurch. The dark was unnatural, not the kind that he looked up into on the many nights he spent stargazing on the Tendo roof.

The site itself was located somewhere on an industrial property he didn't recognize. He saw that he was still in Tokyo, recognizing a few major landmarks in the darkening horizon.

He stopped his observations as a pair of white wings came into site. Kiima was about twenty meters ahead of him, and for some reason she was running instead of flying. Her wings were limply bouncing against her back from her running, and Ranma had the impression that she was hurt and running away from something. For the first time, he saw fear in her eyes as she whipped back for a quick glance over her shoulder. She apparently didn't see Ranma, for her head whipped back just as quickly, her pace never faltering in the process. Or maybe she was running from him.

He sensed rather than saw another presence.

Up on a beam several floors above them, a man was crouching in the shadows. He was giving off a hostile aura. He had the intent on killing someone.

Ranma picked up his speed and was soon sprinting full out. Kiima was headed for the edge of the building-in-progress. The man was, in perspective, between Ranma and Kiima, but Ranma was closing the distance.

The stranger skillfully spun a bow strapped on his back into his hand.

Ranma passed the dark man, unable to see anything except his dark form. But he still felt him, and this new "sense" he had was incredible. Even without looking back, Ranma was able to "feel" the movements made by him. But what in the world was he _doing_?

The dark man gripped the bow in his left palm firmly. He lazily drew his right hand up to the string and began to pull without an arrow.

Ranma was just a few feet behind Kiima now. Still fleeing in a blind panic now, she had not noticed Ranma's presence. They closed in on the edge.

The man had the bow pulled out to its full extent. A dark glow began to envelope the taut string, then his hands, and soon his whole arm and the bow too. He took careful aim. Then he let loose.

Ranma felt the danger. They were so close, but they would not reach their escape in time. Time slowed to a crawl. He reached out and finally grabbed Kiima by her waist with one arm. She tensed in surprise, but he was already pulling her to him. He leaned to the side and kicked off the beam. The steel walkway burst into a black flame exactly where they were less than a second ago.

Then he was falling, Kiima pressed against his chest, secured by his arm, and he was kicking off the last shaft as they met it, and then they were truly soaring through the empty sky, approaching the ground below them. Kiima was hurt and unable to fly; Ranma knew that now though he knew not how. He wrapped both arms around her, shifting her body so that he was gripping her around her naval. She was slightly taller than him, and though she spent more of her life in the air than Ranma did, he was willing to bet she didn't know how to take a fall. Sure that he would land first and break their fall, he braced for the impact. She was hurt, and he dared not risk springing off the ground if it risked hurting her further.

The moment passed. They were really falling now, once again in normal time, and Kiima whipped her head back to identify her rescuer or assailant. She obviously didn't expect to see Ranma, her sworn enemy, holding her in his arms and taking her away from danger. But she did not exhibit any hostility. The fear went away from her eyes, replaced by a wary and questioning glance. Then her eyes closed as she lost consciousness.

She was hurt worse than he'd expected. He felt the blood seeping into his shirt, and the wind whipping up cause a few drops to wet his cheek. He had no time to check. The ground met them uncomfortably fast, even for Ranma, and he grunted when the impact was made. Using his reflexes to his best ability, he went with the shock of landing as far as he could go, his knees stopping centimeters from the ground. Kiima didn't even stir, and he was glad.

Later when he woke, he would wonder why this overwhelming sense of protectiveness and delicate care had come over him. For now, he wasted no time in bursting into another sprint. Carefully, he let one arm go of her and slung it behind her knees. He was now cradling her with more ease, but he was not so concerned with escaping any longer. His newly developed sense conveyed to him that the stranger was no longer after Kiima. They were safe from attack.

He didn't stop running, mainly because he felt that he had somewhere he needed to go to, but in his current state of confusion from being thrust so abruptly into this situation, he didn't know where to go. Kiima slowly came to, and he looked down without stopping his strides in hopes of finding a clue.

A moan escaped her throat. Her eyes opened. They were an attractive crimson, and Ranma discovered he had never taken the time to ponder the extraordinary color.

"Saotome," she whispered.

"What's going on?" he asked, breaking the eye contact and putting his focus back on their heading. He guided them towards a bridge. Jumping over the side railing, he slid down the grassy slope and onto the dry cement paving below. He didn't stop or even slow until they were directly under the bridge.

"I'm dreaming," she said simply. Obviously she believed the whole scenario was derived of her own mental projection.

"If you are, then so am I."

She gave him a peculiar look. He was at a loss of words too, and chose to remain silent. It seemed like she was equally clueless.

Finally realizing that this may not just be a simple dream, her eyes narrowed. "You may put me down, now."

Ranma dropped his arm suspending her legs down gently and reluctantly. He couldn't understand his own feelings right now; they were foreign and intrusive, and he knew that he wasn't himself right now. Not himself as he normally was.

As soon as her talons clicked upon the concrete, she tried to step away but faltered, nearly falling. He went forward and caught her, steadying her.

"At this moment, I'm on a ship, crossing the sea to Japan. I'm headed for the Tendo Dojo, Saotome. I have orders to kill you, the Tendos, Hibiki, Ku Long, and her heirs." She tried hard to not look feeble but instead threatening. Her whole body was tense.

Ranma felt no suspicion or distrust. He only gazed back, waiting it out.

Apparently unnerved by her failure to elicit his anger or suspicion, she continued. "The order was mandated by an elder who has taken charge of Mount Phoenix in wake of the chaos you caused. He is a noble, royalty, with no care for our people. But he uses the excuse of purging our enemies for the sake of the people to send me across the seas to take the lives of you and your friends." She paused here, trying to put into words what she'd probably been feeling for a long time now. "I have no intention of obeying. I'm going to Japan to investigate. I fought you because it was my duty to protect Lord Saffron. But this noble is my personal foe; I will not allow him to take the royal throne. And if he wants you dead, then you're probably more useful to me alive."

Ranma nodded. His uncanny lack of reaction was extremely unnerving to her, but in truth he was also troubled by it. He felt none of the usual hotheadedness or anger in himself. He was thinking clearly, absorbing all the information and processing it with delicate attention. He almost wished the real him could be so controlled.

Deciding to go on despite her failure to provoke any reaction, Kiima resumed. "I will be arriving to port tomorrow. I will be disguised as a human." She interrupted Ranma, who was about to break his eerie silence by protesting. "I shed your fiancé's form. It was no longer useful to me anyway. You'll recognize me easily enough. I believe our time is about to end. Expect me tomorrow; I have many things to ask…if I really am talking to you right now."

There was, of course, no doubt. Both of them knew instinctively this was no mere dream, and whether someone was responsible for bringing them together here or it was some strange but spontaneous phenomena, they were really communicating through a dream.

"Are you hurt…?" Ranma didn't know how to word his question.

Kiima understood. "Of course not, not unless someone attacked me in my sleep. I--" She didn't finish as the very scenery around them seemed to be melting and slurring before their very eyes. It was such an unnatural and unnerving sight that Kiima shivered, still within Ranma's arms.

"Kiima, be careful."

"See you soon, Saotome," she replied, unsure of how to respond to his unexpected concern.

Darkness.

σσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσ

Version 1.2

Author's Notes: Well, there you go! The introduction to Contrition is completed and revised. Due to my eagerness to get on with this project (it's starting to become my favorite one), I admit I have rushed this prologue a little. Its significance in the long run is pretty minor, though I realize first impressions are important for readers. However, I won't come back to embellish this piece until I've made some more progress, so I hope you didn't find it too unsatisfying! Chapter 1 is coming along nicely and at good speed, so please stick around. Ja!


	2. Chapter 1 Part 1: Unearthing

**Disclaimer**: Most of the contents belong solely to Rumiko Takahashi. This story is being made purely for entertainment purposes, and gives me no profit at all. Please do not sue me…ok?

**Author's Note**: Okay, here's Chapter 1. I have several forewarnings though.

This is NOT, I repeat, NOT one of those SSR fics (Super Strong Ranma). You might get that impression, but I assure you this is not the case. All will be clear and explained by the next chapter.

Some people may think that Ranma seems too OOC (out of character) in this series. I promise I won't just kick the story off with him acting too differently. However, I believe to make the unique relationships work for this particular story, some gradual changes have to be made . I hope it won't bother too many of you, so please give me some feedback; I wanna know what you people think! And now, on with the story.

- -

Contrition

Chapter 1

Part 1: Unearthing

A Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction by Rannison

- -

"Baaaka! Wake up!"

Suddenly, the world was cold and wet. Ranma jerked out of his futon, disoriented by sleep and wild from the shock of cold water.

"W-What?" Ranma sputtered. He, now a she, finally cleared her head enough to make sense of where she was. The few remaining traces of an unremembered dream floated away out of his grasp.

Akane stood over her, an empty bucket still dangling in her hands.

"Baka Ranma, your mother is coming over for breakfast, remember? How is she going to take to her manly son sleeping in and not greeting her? Jeez, idiot," she sneered and turned away, walking off leaving Ranma looking at her back, stung. Her footsteps audibly tracked their way downstairs. The sounds of Kasumi preparing breakfast drifted up to his room, and he also heard the ruffling of newspapers, along with the droning of a news reporter from the television.

"Stupid, uncute tomboy…" she muttered. Letting out a defeated sigh, Ranma picked herself up. Grabbing a spare set of clothing, she treaded down the hallway towards the bathroom. Leaving the guest room, she looked over to Akane's room. The wooden duck still hung there, a comforting sight of familiarity. He cherished that, for nothing these days seemed familiar anymore. Everything was changing.

Ranma hadn't stopped her trek, but she did notice a gap in Akane's door; she slowed down a little, curious. Something had caught her eye. She reversed her course and instead headed towards Akane's room.

Pushing the door further ajar, she stopped dead. A bandana lay on her pillow.

"Ryouga…?" she mumbled questioningly to herself. Probably P-chan had spent the night in Akane's bed again. Anger filled her rapidly, but she suppressed it. She turned around and made her way to the restroom without pause this time. A feeling of unease lingered in the pit of her stomach.

σσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσ

"Husband dear…" her voiced drawled out threateningly, dripping with hostile sweetness that promised retribution.

A very audible gulp resounded.

"…what is this?"

Nodoka was kneeling beside Ranma in the dining room, breakfast set before them. Having engages in a battle for food nearly immediately, neither Ranma nor Genma had noticed Nodoka's scrutiny upon her son. During mid-flight, Nodoka's chopsticks had flashed out and halted Ranma's hand, clamping his sleeve. Now she displayed it for all to see.

"What is what, Nodoka dear?" Genma queried cautiously, knowing he was stepping in a minefield blindfolded now.

"This large hole, dear; it's another tear. Just like the one I noticed on my last visit, and the one before. Has my son no clothes he can wear? Surely my good husband can more than afford to get a shirt for his own blood and flesh." she stated almost innocently, but her voice froze the bald man's blood, as it usually had a tendency of doing.

"O-Of course dear, but--" at this Genma clears his throat and straightened, desperately attempting to regain his own dignity. "—the life of a martial artist is full of peril and hardship! My son must not be spoiled!" He closed his eyes and smiled, as if filled with pride and honor.

Ranma merely snorted and grabbed half the meat out of his pop's bowl.

Nodoka smiled calmly. "I see. And that's why you decided to treated yourself to a new one?" she asked pointedly, and indeed Genma had donned on another of his normal white gi this morning, but this one did not fit quite so snugly around his waist as his usual clothes did, nor did it bear any marks of usage.

"Err…" he replied most intelligently.

Nabiki covered her chuckling by coughing into her palm lightly. Akane ignored them. Soun was still hiding behind his newspaper, trying desperately to be blissfully ignorant. Kasumi smiled as she collected the cluttered dishes and bowls that were finished with.

Shaking his head, Ranma stood and took some of the dining items with him, helping Kasumi with cleaning up. "Thank you for the meal, Kasumi. It was great as usual," he commented as he passed by.

Kasumi only beamed and gave a small bow. "You're very welcome, Ranma-kun."

Leaving the bickering of his parents behind him, he silently passed Akane without looking at her at all and exited to the dojo. He felt her eyes drilling into the back of his skull as he eluded her.

Nabiki, unnoticed by either of them, thoughtfully observed the pair.

σσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσ

Ranma hadn't really notice the difference at first.

Wanting to relieve some stress, get away from his parents (he loved his mother dearly, but she drove him nuts sometimes), and ponder why Akane had been so actively hostile to him in the past few weeks, Ranma had retired to the dojo to do some simple exercises. Unlike most martial artists, Ranma found no peace in sitting or kneeling down in a reflective state to mull over thoughts. Instead, he found his inner balance by performing what he called "the basics".

Nabiki's headphones were blasting even more loudly than usual today. How can anyone listen to music at such a high volume?

He withdrew his mind, letting his body take over from muscle memory, built up over years and years of intense training. He flowed through an extremely novice and simple set of katas. And observer familiar with Ranma would have been confused to see Ranma performing such bland feats. But his speed gradually picked up. The simplicity was exactly what made this exercise challenging.

His hands drew quarter arcs inwards across his chest, then shot down and "pushed" to a stop just below hip level. His right arm swept in a graceful arc back up, level with his head; his left traced an inversely symmetrical pattern behind and below him. Blindingly fast, his right swept back down in front of him, crossing to his left, and his left shot out. This was followed up by his right knife-hand, swinging in a horizontal arc perfectly parallel to the ground, at neck-level.

The details blurred out of his mind gradually. He had done this many times, a set of 42 different attacks and defenses. But today, something was amiss.

Kasumi must be in a bad mood. The sounds of dishes and cups clinking together was getting louder by the second, it was hard to believe the occupants of the Tendo residents weren't all getting a headache from it.

Ranma returned to his previous thoughts. 'Could it be that she hates me for putting her in danger?' he wondered. It was true that this recent fiasco was the closest that Akane had ever come to getting seriously hurt. To dying.

Nodoka and Genma's bickering cut into his thoughts periodically, making it harder for him to concentrate on his train of thought.

But it just didn't make sense! They had lived together for nearly two years now. And no matter how many near-encounters she had had, Akane had never before shown signs of pure, intentional cruelty towards him. It was as if she really enjoyed being malicious now. And it was all directed toward him and him only. She didn't even treat Kuno with such open hate.

God, this house was driving him crazy!

Then, realization hit him. Hard.

Ranma stopped so suddenly, he nearly lost his own balance. He caught himself just in time to keep himself from falling. Leaning his hands on his knees, he stared straight down into the tatami mats without blinking. He couldn't believe it.

Nabiki was sitting in the Tendo living room, a manga in her hand, with headphones over her ears. Kasumi was in the kitchen at the sink, rinsing off each of the soaped plates and bowls then placing them into the rack to air dry. Nodoka had marched off into the backyard, fuming, while Genma and Soun began a game of Go on the patio, each sipping from a cup of sake. Akane was walking up the stairs, a cup of hot tea in her hand.

Ranma was still staring down at the tatami.

"Oh my god…" he managed to croak. He saw Soun turn around to still his newspaper that was about to fly off with the wind; he saw Genma take advantage and switch one of his white pieces with Soun's black. He saw Kasumi turn off the faucet and wipe her hands neatly on her apron. He saw his mother delicately pruning a rose bush.

All he really saw in front of him was the tatami mat.

Reflexively, he tried to straighten up but fell back on his butt. He could feel his body, yet he could not. His mind was so confused and assaulted that he had not even begun to register what was happening. His shocked and unresponsive brain could only freeze like deer caught in headlights, trying but failing to comprehend the information and senses that was overloading it.

He closed his eyes and instantly wished he didn't.

Now he realized he wasn't really "seeing" any of it at all. In his mind, he saw a perfect darkness. In the endless black, solid white lines shaped the structure of the Tendo residence. Various mists hovered in different locations spread amongst the house, and even as he focused just a tiny bit on one of those mists, they began to transform. He "looked" at the pure and white mist that floated in the kitchen doorway, and instantly it changed. It was indescribable to Ranma; words failed him, and in truth, no words could truly be used to express what he was "seeing". But it was very much similar to seeing an image suddenly superimpose itself over the object in a world seen through an obscuring lens. The white floating aura suddenly took the form of Kasumi.

His mind was reeling now, and he was desperately clinging on to his normal senses, afraid that he would plunge into this abyss of detachment. He vaguely felt his physical body gagging, but suppressing the urge to retch.

He opened his eyes again, but the assault of a surreal realm of duality in senses was not much of an improvement. A sudden stroke of insight came from his subconscious mind. He concentrated hard. It was not easy, for the unnerving abstract quality made all thought seem too insufficient, too physical and corporeal. So he cut off all thought, stopped all words, and began to use only his feelings. The sensation was so unnerving it shook him physically and threw him into a cold sweat. It felt like he was closing his eyes, except the eyes were in his very skull.

He had the strangest sensation of waking up. It was an insufficient way of describing it, of course, but nonetheless it was what he was reminded of. Waking up. His normal senses returned to him: sight, smell, touch, taste, and that of aural. Inversely, the strange seeing/feeling/hearing of his surrounding receded. Perhaps he was reminded of how one slowly regains consciousness from a deep and comatose slumber, dreams retreating slowly, senses regained just as gradually, bit by bit. And then, he finally broke through the surface.

He was kneeling pathetically on the mats in the dojo. Cold sweat dripped off of his clammy skin; his gi clung to him uncomfortably. His face was barely over the ground and he was slowing his breathing and his heartbeat down, both having been going at it like jackhammers on the loose a moment ago. One arm was crossed over his stomach and clamped to his side, an instinctive but useless gesture that was suppose to ward off his temptation to hurl. He slid on his one arm and knees as fast as he could, stumblingly, to the edge of the dojo. Sliding the shoji back as fast as he could, he leaned over the side and let go of his breakfast.

Voices. Nodoka was panicked, running to him, her hand was on his back now and she was asking something. Ranma thought that she was asking if he was alright or what was wrong, but he couldn't really tell. Though his senses were regained, his body was still trying to cope with the shock of the sudden…

…the sudden what? What exactly had happened, goddamn it?

Her voice finally penetrated the fog in his head. "…dear, are you okay? Please, say something, what's wrong, Ranma?"

"I'm fine. I'm okay, now, I'm alright," he managed, brushing his mother's hand away from his back. "I just…I need some water." His dry mouth burned with the sour taste of acid.

Nodoka rushed off toward the kitchen from the side path in through the yard, but even as she crossed into the garden Kasumi was already approaching with a glass. She's apparently been at the window and had seen and heard the unfolding of the situation.

When his mother came back with the glass, Ranma took a sip and rinsed his mouth out. After the acidic taste was mostly gone, though it still lingered in the back of his throat, he allowed himself to take a long drink. The water was chilled and refreshing. It cleared Ranma's mind.

"Ranma, what happened?"

"Mom, not now. Not yet. I have to go see something." Ranma handed the glass back to his mother and thanked her. He felt completely back to normal now, and he stood up on steady legs. "I'll tell you later. Right now, I have to see something."

Nodoka was baffled. If her son's sudden ailment and recovery was not sufficiently perplexing, his sudden change in demeanor and need to go finished the job nicely. Unable to think of anything to say, she simply nodded.

Ranma did not wait for her consent to leave, though. He stalked off back into the house through the dojo. On his way, he deftly pulled the top of his gi over his head and threw it into the hamper as he passed by the dressing room. Making his way through the living room topless, the sight the greeted him filled him with dread. Nabiki was lying on her stomach, reading a manga. Her earphones were blaring rock music, and she heard nothing. Soun and Genma looked up only for a second from their board, but returned their attention immediately back to the game to make sure the other didn't try to cheat.

Ranma forced his legs to continue moving. He didn't know what the cause of what he saw was. He didn't know how anything like it was possible, didn't know what it implied or would mean for him. At the moment, he couldn't care less if it was a sign from God as a warning of Armageddon. All he knew or cared about in that moment was that if the things he "saw" downstairs were really seen, then _everything_ he saw was real. And that was what he truly dreaded.

Ranma trekked his way up the stairs, where he had last "seen" Akane walk up with a cup of warm tea in her hand and a nervous and guilty smile upon her face.

σσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσ

Akane slipped quietly into her room, making sure to close the door quietly behind her. Stepping into her quarters, she quickly scanned her surroundings until she found what she was looking for. A small bump on her bed moved slowly up and down, nearly imperceptible. Stepping over to it, she pulled back the cover. A black piglet looked up at her sleepily.

Smiling mischievously, she picked up the pig in one hand and carefully tipped the cup she was holding over its head. An instant later, a very much naked and blushing Ryouga stood before her.

She placed a finger over her lips, signaling for him to be quiet. He only nodded and reached over the side of her bed, grabbing his clothes where they had lain out of sight from any passing observers. Slipping into his garments quickly and silently, he had barely finished pulling his shirt down when Akane grabbed his head and kissed him.

They stood still for a long moment, each inhaling the other's scent, savoring the forbidden moment. Then, they were separated but smiling brightly.

Akane whispered. "Dad and Ranma's father are too busy playing Go, Nabiki is reading, Kasumi and Nodoka-san are busy as usual, and Ranma's still practicing…it's all perfect." She breathed deeply and let out her breath, closing her eyes and leaning against Ryouga.

"Oh how I wish you could just tell your father you want out on the engagement, Akane," he replied, his cheek against Akane's forehead, savoring the intimacy.

Akane sighed again and was about to lean up to kiss Ryouga again when his body suddenly became rigid in her arms. She looked up at his face, worried, and saw fear in his face. He was looking at her doorway.

She turned around slowly and dreadfully, hoping against hope that this was just a sick joke Ryouga was playing on her, which would end with her bopping him lightly on his head and play-acting ignoring him. Instead she let out a gasp. Ranma stood in her doorway, breathe coming in short bursts, bare-chested with sweat drenching his body. He was shaking with anger.

σσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσ

How? Ranma couldn't understand. How could there be such a betrayal? How could his heart hurt so bad that he could just fall to his knees and scream and scream until he died? How was it possible that he could hurt and hate so much? His vision was red, and all he wanted to do was cross the room and crush Ryouga's throat with his fingers.

In that moment, he had no doubt he could do it. He knew not _how_ he knew, there was no doubt at all that he could kill Ryouga as easily as he could step on a bug. But that wasn't why he was shaking. He was shaking because he was scared. He was shaking because he was doing everything in his power to control this inner rage, to keep from killing him.

Even as he shook, he found his body had taken a step into Akane's room and his right hand had begun to clench and unclench convulsively.

Ryouga was saying something, but he couldn't hear. Ranma was feeling true fear for the first time in his life. He no longer for the heartache, no longer felt rage or anger. For the first time in his life, Ranma could not control himself, even though he was completely conscious and standing.

They were shouting now, he couldn't make out the words, but Ryouga was approaching him slowly, oh so very slowly. Ranma did everything he could, pulled up every ounce of willpower to prevent his arm from shooting out to Ryouga's throat. It felt like he was trying to keep a boulder from falling over a cliff.

Then, still so slowly, Ryouga's fist came into Ranma vision, enveloping all that he saw. He thanked the gods and let himself fly through the air and into the hallway, crashing into the wall. He slumped into unconsciousness.

σσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσ

"Ranma, I'm so sorry…" Akane whimpered. She was truly wracked with guilt, for the first time since these engagements had begun. Ranma's eyes were so overflowed with betrayal and hurt that even Akane's heart had clenched tightly at the sight.

And then things had become truly frightening. For a moment, it seemed like Ranma was surprised by something that only he could see. He was looking past the two of them, and she had stupidly wondered in her shock whether or not he was having a breakdown of some sort. And then his expression had changed. His posture, his aura, his very _presence_ changed. Fury, hatred of a frightening and uncanny intensity, seethed from him, radiating in a way that even she, the weakest martial artist present, was able to see it. His very ki suddenly seemed like a tangible layer of air, a physical manifestation of his rage.

It had never occurred to her how scary Ranma was. All those times he had fought for her, all the times he had displayed his strength and prowess; she had never realized just how strong Ranma really was. And she had never thought that his wrath would ever be directed at her. The man who stood before her had defeated a demigod out of pure anger. And now he was angry at her. Very angry.

She suddenly found herself shaking. She was scared beyond words.

σσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσ

Every siren in Ryouga's head suddenly tripped off at the same instance. At first he had been guiltily averting his eyes from Ranma's torn gaze. With Akane by his side, he no longer viewed Ranma as a threat. He didn't feel satisfaction from hurting Ranma like this. He had been trying to figure out something to say, staring at the wooden floor beneath him, when the change in the atmosphere assaulted every one of his senses.

Years of enduring the life of hardship that defined the life of a martial artist had honed his warning sense and intuition to a level that was beyond that of normal trainees. And now, his subconscious mind was screaming at him that his very life was in danger.

The change was so fast. He had only looked down for seconds, though to him it had seemed longer. When he looked back up, there was no heartbroken man before him. There was a living swirl of cyclonic fury.

The intensity of Ranma's ki was so great that it was even visible to Akane's eye. But to Ryouga, the deep scarlet aura that swirled about Ranma's body was so thick and treacherous that it actually obscured Ryouga's vision.

Few things have ever scared Ryouga in his life. But right now, he was scared shitless.

'I'm going to die,' he realized. He had not thought of fighting, had not thought of defending, had not even given thought to just full out running. He stood rooted, and with a simple certainty that bypassed all the thick-headedness that was instilled in his brain from long years of petty anger, he truly believed unequivocally that he would die and there was nothing he could do.

Then, Ranma had faltered. He had tried to take a step forward, but his left hand had snaked out to snatch his own right arm. It began to convulse.

Eerily, Ryouga was reminded of a restrained cobra, desperately trying to strike with all its being but unable to. This was the only chance he would get.

Summoning all the speed he could muster and all the strength he had, enough strength to normally penetrate three feet of concrete or dent two inches of solid steel, Ryouga even stomped his lead leg down and twisted his waist as he reached Ranma in an attempt to increase the velocity of his attack. His arm slowed down. For one horrifying moment, Ryouga thought his arm was going to stop completely.

His fist impacted Ranma's skull. It was nowhere near what he had expected, but Ryouga was so grateful in that moment that he didn't feel angry at all, only relief. Ranma flew back into the hallway and slammed into the wall. Crashing back onto the wooden floor, Ranma had slumped into unconsciousness.

σσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσ

What had she dreamed of the night before? She vaguely remembered the Saotome boy to be involved. That wasn't a surprise, of course. She was nervous about hunting down the man who took down her superior, the leader of Mount Phoenix. But now, in order to prevent an oppressive rule by Tanustu, she had no choice but to seek out Ranma.

She went through the customs without a problem or arousing any suspicion. All it took was a few hours and she was already in a bus headed for Tokyo.

The vehicle bumped over the roads, its occupants squeezing uncomfortably close together. They didn't seem bothered by it, but she had grown up in the vast and spacious skies, and being cramped here gave her a sense of claustrophobia. She sighed and hoped the trip would come to an end soon.

She opened a window and leaned her head out. The air in Japan's big city was polluted and had an unpleasant odor, but it helped relieve her discomfort somewhat. She reached back and pulled the string holding her pigtail up. Her scarlet hair cascaded in the wind, spilling back like a spray of blood.

σσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσ

Version 1.1

Okay, fixed up a bit of the grammatical errors, but I haven't revised any parts or embellished, so don't worry about rereading. I owe some thanks to you faithful readers out there . "TheDudeAbides", thank you for pointing out my grammatical errors; I'm normally not that careless, but I'll be sure to be more careful from now on. And I give my thanks to "Dai", for advising me on changing my summary and for pointing out my improper method of introducing new characters. If it weren't for the critics out there guiding my way, I would never have become the writer I am today, so I thank you all, _especially_ all of you who were kind enough to review my story. Even the shortest sentence gives me inspiration and encourages me to continue with more dedication and determination. So I thank you all. See you again in Chapter 2! Ja.

Version 1.0

Whew, what a rush job! Yes, I _was_ trying to rush and I sure hope it didn't affect the quality _too_ much. But I have a good feeling that it didn't quite do so. The words weren't just flowing out, they were _gushing_.

I started the actual chapter body this morning and I've just stopped right now (12 hours O.O). Looks like I've really struck gold with this story, I'm so glad I decided to write this. And on top of that, I've gotten many reviews and alerts; I don't know how to thank all you readers! Thanks so much for hanging in there, I tried to make the wait time for this one as short as possible. This is a first draft, for those of you who don't understand the Version counter, so that will account for all the awkwardness in this story, but I'll revise it as soon as I can. Stick around; Chapter 2 is on its way!


	3. Chapter 1 Part 2: Awakening

**Disclaimer**: Most of the contents belong solely to Rumiko Takahashi. This story is being made purely for entertainment purposes, and gives me no profit at all. Please do not sue me…ok?

**Author's Notes**: Here's Part 2, at long last. I hope you enjoy it! I have also included a new section, "Author's Ramblings", below, for the convenience for both myself and potentially troubled readers. And on another note, the website for this fan fic is still under construction; I'll post the link in an update later on when it's up and running. Because of this, the social status chart for Mount Phoenix is not available yet; email me if you want it Ramblings: I decided to write this section due to various reasons. **You do not have to read this part at all**; this is for the more serious readers out there who wish to gain more insight. You might want to read this section if you are confused about something before you start firing questions at me.

**Akane: **The issue on Akane comes first. I do not hate Akane; I have absolutely no intention of making this story an insult to her. However, on the other side of the matter, I do not favor Akane either. She has done some things throughout the course of the manga to cause me to see her in a different light. Therefore, if you are in favor of an Akane and Ranma pairing, please don't stop reading on account of your bias; I have taken lengths to insure that I don't have such a bias in the course of the plot either. If you ARE an Akane-hater, I implore you also not to stop reading on account of this revelation. As I said, I don't hate her, but I don't favor her. This applies to many of the other characters, too. I have written fan fiction where Akane and Ranma DO get together, I have written ones where they don't. This is simply another unexplored possibility. As a fan fiction writer, I feel it is my personal responsibility to honor and respect the intentions of Rumiko Takahashi when she created these wonderful characters. They were each made for a purpose, even if that purpose is to irritate the reader. Therefore, I apologize, but I will NOT be writing a fan fiction about the mindless slaughter of each unpopular character; it horrifies me when I realize that some people might be disappointed when they read this.

**Ranma:** The next issue is one I have shortly addressed previously. As an avid reader of Ranma ½, there are times when I have had frustrations about Ranma's inability to defeat some of his opponents. However, I try my best not to let that affect my writing. After rereading the first two parts of my story, I was horrified to realize that some readers might get the idea that this is another one of those stories where Ranma gains some sort of super ability and kills everyone else (or something along those lines). I assure all of you, this is NOT the case.

**Their Relationship:** There are those who believe that the pairing of Akane and Ryouga is a grave mistake. I have been fortunate to receive critique from one such author, and he has reprimanded me, for my own good, for my error. I realize that what seemed logical to me does not necessarily seem right to other people, but I find it too late to go back and alter the whole plot. Therefore, I will just have to go along with it and make do with what I have, make it the best it can become. This is not because I am lazy or defiant, merely because if I were to change this one pairing, I would destroy a lot of my own plans. But I assure you, dear readers, that I will not shove them together and expect them to fall in love. The knots and kinks will be worked out in later chapters.

**Personalities: **The forth issue is on Ranma and the other character's personalities. Yes, Ranma and Kiima is a farfetched pairing. But if two characters are absolutely incompatible, I would NOT pair them up just for the kick of it (in example: Principle Kuno and Kasumi, shiver). I paired these two characters up because I saw potential in a relationship between them; call me a romantic if you want, but that's that. Because of this, the two characters will change, mature, and grow to like each other. If you wanted a story where they meet up, fall in love, then start knocking the boots in just a few chapters, I'm afraid you're reading the wrong story. But if you're a true fan of romance, you'll understand my goal, and appreciate the difficulty of the task. I only ask for patience; in other words, this will be a LONG story with many chapters ahead.

**Accuracy**: Finally, there is the issue of accuracy. I have only once read the whole manga series. That was 6 years ago, when I was a kid, and the mangas were all in Chinese. All that I base these characters on are upon all the fan fiction and web surfing I've seen over the course of the last 6 years; of course, I have no trouble sticking to the original stuff when it comes to the main characters. However, it all begins to get a bit fuzzy once I reach some of the more rarely mentioned characters, like Hinako sensei or the people of Mount Phoenix. Therefore, I have taken it upon myself to improvise and draft up a _whole entire structuring_ of the people of Mount Phoenix, the Joketsuzoku, and the Must Dynasty. I have incorporated what I've researched, but there were many unknown factors to begin with; in other words, there are parts where I have been forced to _make up_. If, by some chance, there was a piece of information that was already in the original series that I missed, and I had made up something else to cover for it, then please inform me of my mistake. I will repair what I can if it is still in my power to do so. Other than that, please consider the fact that the economies, the social ladders, the cultural aspects of daily life, rituals, politics, religions, histories...I have made it my responsibility to account for all of it, either by research or by imagination.

**Thank you:** I know that was a lot to take in. If you have actually read this far, I thank you sincerely bows. Unlike some authors, I take all my projects _very_ seriously and try to consider _every_ aspect. I suspect I will, or already have, lost many readers because of this. But I will know by a couple of chapters into this series that my readers who are still with me are _true_ fans, not a noncommittal reader who's just looking for a cheap and short thrill. I'm not ashamed to lose the readers who decide to quit, only saddened that they don't appreciate my determination to make this story more than just an average fan fic. That's all I have to say for now. Thank you for your time, and now for the story!

- -

Contrition

Chapter 1

Part 2: Awakening

A Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction by Rannison

- -

The new king was enraged.

"_High Sentry Kiima has defected_?" his voice thundered, sending the royal servants scattering away in fear of becoming a potential target for stress relief. The ruler wore a golden jeweled crown, crafted in the profile of Suzaku, upon his forehead. He wore a lavish robe decorated with gold and red, woven from the finest materials by the royal servants. His dark, violet wings were twitching with agitation.

Before him knelt ten winged people on the cool marble floor, each one of high status. All but one of them averted the king's scrutinizing eyes.

"That is what our informants tell us, Lord Tanustu. Unfortunately, there is no way to confirm the reliability of this information. She left Mount Phoenix upon briefing of her mission. Her orders were to go to the island of Japan, and we have confirmed reports of her boarding a ship headed for the island. That was when we stopped receiving reports from Kiima. Our spies at the Japanese port did not spot anyone with wings, nor did they recognize her cursed form."

The man giving the report was kneeling directly in front of Tanustu. Dressed in black ceremonial armor that distinguished him as a General, he was the most prominent man amongst the assemblage. His wings were colored a beautiful dark green, a very rare physical trait amongst the occupants of Phoenix Mountain; it is often mentioned when the General is the talk of some soldiers' conversation.

Tanustu listened to his report with a nasty scowl on his face. Pacing around and ignoring the rest of the assembly, he came to a sudden stop and turned to the General again.

"So she just disappeared, just like that? Is that what you are saying, General Echtor?"

"That is what the spies say. I have no reason to doubt their honesty." Echtor replied hesitantly. Tanustu was very perceptive, however, and the cautious tone did not escape his attention.

"But what do you think, General? What happened to Kiima?"

The General hesitated once more. He was bound by honor and could not lie. Reluctantly, he replied.

"I believe Kiima may have taken a new curse. It could be anyone, any_thing_. But it would sufficiently explain her disappearance...or her slipping past our spies without being recognized." He fell silent, cursing himself silently for letting go of such valuable information. But it couldn't be helped. He _must_ gain the trust of the new king, for the sake of all the people of the Phoenix.

The king looked pleased, and let slip a smile. It was as malicious as the glint in his eyes.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

A lone shadow retreated from the corner of the throne room. The king's laughter chilled her deeply even as she drew further away. A black cloak covered her entire figure, making it hard to determine any of her physical features beside her wings. Her talons clicked against the cold, marble floor as she made her way back through the winding hallways that constituted the whole of the upper level of Phoenix Mountain. Finally, she stopped at a doorway after countless turns.

This particular entrance comprised of two wooden doors, intricately designed with skilled carvings of a phoenix on the left and a dragon on the right. She looked around, saw that no one had followed her, and entered with some relief. If a scholar was caught in the throne room, the penalty was heavy. And she would not have been able to give even a viable reason to be there.

"Ellis?"

She had been in the process of taking her cloak off when the voice startled her. The room she had entered was a library. It was enormous; shelf after shelf filled the room, some reaching up to touch the ceiling. As height was not a common fear for the residents of the mountain, people were accustomed to using the ladders to navigate the ledges. However, a fall from that height was still dangerous; with the shelves cramped together, only a child could spread their wings at three quarters span and float down to safety. And flying was prohibited in the library.

None of this seemed to have fazed the person who had addressed Ellis, though. He was a young man, just around the same age as Ellis herself. And currently, he was balancing on the top rung of one of the ladders with a tall stack of scrolls in his arms, a stack that went well over the top of his head. He seemed very calm and collected, his face turned to face her, the whole ladder swaying unsteadily beneath his feet.

Ellis was sweating bullets for him.

"Ah, it is you. Welcome back! Any word on our young prodigy?"

The young man turned to face Ellis even more, and then one single scroll rolled off, bounced off the top of his head, and began to fall. He snatched it back with his free hand.

"K-Kyo! Be careful!"

"Eh?"

The ladder slipped to the side and fell.

σσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσ

The Tendo home, usually the loudest residence in the neighborhood, stood eerily placid. Within the house, the whole family and their guests was gathered in the living room. They knelt in front of a table, each looking bleak at the occasion.

Soun, Genma, and Nodoka were on one side. Facing them was Akane and Ryouga, side by side, clasping hands underneath the table. Akane's grip tightened on Ryouga's sweaty palm as Soun cleared his throat gravely and began.

"Daughter, you've committed a great offense in my household. Honor demands you be punished. Even if you are my own daughter, I cannot protect you from the crime of adultery. Do you realize how serious your offense is?"

Soun's demeanor was severe, with no trace of his usual fervor. His tone was tight and filled with unconcealed disappointment. The pair received the same disapproving expression from all around the room, except for Ranma. He did not look up at them, or anyone else. He hadn't spoken a word since he had awaken and come down to join the family.

"Yes, daddy. I know."

Unable to keep her misery suppressed, she burst into tears. Ryouga wrapped his arm around her, comforting her and supporting her, and was greeted with cold stares. He couldn't care less.

Unable to hold her tongue, Kasumi, to everyone's surprise, burst out.

"Oh Akane, how _could _you? Mother would be so ashamed!"

Something finally seemed to crack in the youngest Tendo daughter.

"Oh of course she would be, Kasumi, she _always_ was! You would know that, _wouldn't_ you? After all, you were her favorite!"

A shocked silence followed her outburst. Tension had begun building in the room, charging uncomfortably. Genma no longer felt he should be present; the encounter was becoming more personal than just the engagement. However, Nodoka elbowed her husband when he began to show signs of getting up. Their company was obligatory.

"None of you understand," Akane continued; her voice hardened as she gathered courage to speak. Her hand was clamped tightly on Ryouga's now, white and shaking. "How could you understand what it was like? Father never told us anything to begin with. Not until that afternoon, the same day Ranma was _arriving_, for Christ sake! But that was just the beginning, wasn't it?"

Her gaze flicked to Ranma's hunched form, but he was motionless. She took a shuddering breath and plunged on.

"My fiancé turned out to be a guy who changed into a girl every time he touches water! But I dealt with that, I _accepted_ that. My own sisters pushed the responsibility onto my shoulders without even considering my feelings! And still, I tried to consent. I thought that things could only get better from there." New tears tracked down her damp cheeks as she shook her head. "But that wasn't the case! I got kidnapped over and over, I was attacked, manipulated, used! And it turns out that my fiancé had more than one fiancé!"

Akane's body shook, but she would not allow herself to let out a single sob. Her tears came, but she was silent besides her unsteady breathing. Everyone around her was now averting her eyes, unable to meet her pained gaze. Ranma remained as he was. She pressed on.

"But I adapted to _all_ of that. I took it all, for honors sake. Honestly, though, it wasn't all just honor and pride."

Again, her eyes flickered to Ranma, and again he would not look at her.

"I let myself hope. Because despite all the hardships Ranma brought with him, he also showed kindness. It was awkward, and he always tried to cover up his caring and considerate side by acting insulting and chauvinistic. So I thought that maybe, just maybe, I could grow to like him. I guess...I wasn't fooled by our stubborn behavior, even if I didn't admit it in the beginning. I couldn't deny being jealous whenever his other fiancés hugged him or took him away. I couldn't tell myself that the pain I felt when he called all his other fiancés cute, while he always insulted me, was just my imagination."

Ranma finally seemed to be responding to her words. He was trembling, his hands clenched into fists and pressed against his knees. Whether he was shaking from anger, pain, or some other emotion, Akane couldn't tell. She had to finish her say.

"In the end, I gave up on him. I couldn't take being played around anymore. I had no doubt that Ranma might have cared for me, but I was always treated as 'just another fiancé'. I was too weak in his eyes, to uncute, to tomboyish, and I couldn't even cook for him, like all his other 'cute' fiancés could. But Ryouga..."

She turned to look at Ryouga, who was now smiling at her encouragingly to continue. Akane returned the smile and spoke on.

"Ryouga cared. He never insulted me. He always cared about what I thought, about how I felt. He was always there to comfort me when I cried, always rushing to defend me whenever Ranma said something that was just too insensitive. And he never hesitated to let me know how he really felt about me."

Turning to look at her father, her face was set in determination.

"That's why. That's the reason I never let on that I knew about his curse so that he can be with me. And that's why I decided that I wanted to marry Ryouga, not Ranma."

Finally finished and feelings mentally exhausted, Akane leaned against Ryouga and waited for everyone's reactions. No one spoke for a while.

After an awkward calm, Nodoka unexpectedly spoke first.

"Why didn't you tell us, Akane? I can understand my son's faults and your reaction to them. It does not excuse such an act of dishonor, but it is still understandable. But I don't see why you kept this a secret, and for god know how long now?"

Akane was decidedly looking uncomfortable again. Of all the Saotomes, Nodoka had been the kindest to her, and she'd been good friends with her own mother when she was alive. Seeing the betrayed look in Nodoka's eyes hurt her the most.

"Auntie, I just didn't know what would've happen if we were found out. But I had a feeling that I wouldn't be able to see Ryouga again. So I...I wanted to be with him more before it came to that! To be honest, I didn't expect our affair to last as long as it did in secret." She finished her last sentence with great guilt.

Genma was silent, glad that his wife was handling things. As usual, he wanted no responsibility or part in this unless he was required to intervene.

Nabiki and Kasumi had nothing to say. Their little sister's happiness was important too, and they now saw that she had suffered alone more than they cared to admit.

Soun was filled with conflicting emotions. Honor demanded action! His daughter had committed adultery, had inflicted a great wrongdoing to the Tendo name! If he did not act, their name would be forever soiled! But inside, he was crying for his daughter, for putting his daughter through two years of such hell. He had been a fool, hoping with Saotome that the two youths would have a change of heart and grow to love each other. He was blind to all the signs of incongruity, turned his head from her and expected the situation to work itself out perfectly. He now saw how wrong he was.

But there was nothing he could do now to protect her. He had to ignore his feelings; he couldn't afford to be weak. 'Honor demands action,' he chanted silently, as if to ward off the pain of what he was about to say. 'Honor demands action.'

"Akane Tendo." His voice broke, and he had to clear his throat. "Akane Tendo, you have committed adultery and betrayed your husband-to-be. You have shamed our family greatly, and I must take steps to preserve our face. Thus, from this day forth, I declare—"

"Stop."

All heads turned to Ranma. He had merely muttered the word, but the coldness in his voice cut through everyone in the room.

"Ranma...do you have something to day?" Soun asked fearfully. He had no idea what Ranma was feeling or how he was dealing with everything. He had only heard the commotion upstairs, and after Ranma had came to, the boy had not uttered a single sound. He was afraid the boy would take to violence in his anger; even if Akane was to be punished, he would not see physical harm come to his youngest daughter. But the dark, silent, and chilling attitude was new and Soun had not known how to react to it. Now he prepared himself to intervene if Ranma became forceful.

Ranma stood unsteadily to his feet.

Akane hugged Ryouga, and Ryouga held her protectively. He had no idea how strong Ranma was now; it seemed that after he had fought Saffron, Ranma had taken leaps and bounds ahead of himself in speed and skill, and even his strength was no longer an assurance or advantage.

Ranma walked over to Ryouga and Akane, and for a second everyone held their breath, afraid of what would come next. But he passed them and simply knelt down again, beside Akane. He did not look at her. He looked straight ahead to his parents. And he lowered his head in a bow.

"Okasan...oyaji. I'm afraid I will have to dishonor you now by breaking off my engagement to Akane."

Shocked silence. And confusion.

Genma, most of all, didn't understand. "What are you babbling about, have you gone wrong in the head, son? Akane has cheated on you! Her actions have already broken our agreement between families, a pact that is of great consequence and honor!"

Ranma raised his voice to drown out his father's, as if he did not hear. "I'm afraid I began to find her...undesirable for me. She is weak, she is unattractive, and she cannot cook or support a family if she were to have become my wife."

Another pause, and by now comprehension was dawning on the faces of all the women present in the room.

"So I dishonor the Saotome name by breaking off our engagement. I had decided on this matter months ago, and Akane has most likely known. Therefore, her affair cannot be considered as adultery. We never agreed to marry in the first place, anyway."

Soun was looking at Ranma with a newfound respect, and was greatly touched by his sacrifice. Tears that had not been present when he had been ready to disown his very own daughter now sprang to his eyes, blurring his vision. Both Kasumi and Nabiki were simply stunned, not yet able to react to the new development.

Genma seemed to finally get the idea, but did not take to it with much liking.

"_Why?_" he shouted, pounding his fists onto the table in frustration. "She had betrayed you, she has chosen to bed a man who has sworn to maim and kill you! Yet you _still_ protect her!"

Again, Ranma acted as if he did not hear his father.

"I realize by doing so, I shame our name greatly. So to preserve honor and our family name...I will secede from the Saotome name."

This had come as the greatest upset of all, and no one knew what to think anymore. Nodoka, however, seemed to be proud of her son more than anything else.

Ryouga, who had seconds again been ready to defend his love with his life, now reached out his arm to touch Ranma's shoulder. He couldn't find the words to thank him.

As soon as his hand contacted Ranma, a blinding chain of events struck. When his brain began to register his surroundings again, he realized his arm had been flung away with enough force to drive his body completely sideways. Ranma's hand was formed into a blade-hand, and had stopped centimeters above his throat. It had happened in the span of a blink; no one could have stopped him if he had meant to kill Ryouga.

Ranma glowered at Ryouga, and now the fanged-boy saw what Ranma had been hiding as his head was bent throughout his whole declaration. Fury and explosive anger, barely kept in check.

"There were a lotta times when I was at a disadvantage. You had a lot of chances to finish me off, but even though you were always challenging me and trying to hurt me, you never used those chances you gained to kill me. I don't forget debts of honor. So consider us even."

Ranma withdrew his hand and stood on his feet. He surveyed the whole family. There was so much to be said, and they must all be mentally thrashing in turmoil, but no one broke the uncanny silence that had been present throughout the procession. It was as if they all somehow knew that there was no turning back this time, no mending or forgetting or forgiving, no more second chances. This was the last time they would all meet as a family.

Ranma bowed to each member in turn.

"Kasumi, you've been so kind to me, even after all the pain I brought to your family. I can never thank you enough for being so caring, and I would've loved to have you as a big sister."

"Oh my..." her hands covered her mouth, muffling her typical response.

"Nabiki, Mr. Tendo...I know I've trashed your place a lot since I got here, and I've caused a lotta trouble for you guys. Thanks for putting up with it, and I'm sorry it didn't work out."

Nabiki shrugged it off, trying to look hardhearted, but her eyes seemed to glisten a little and she turned her head away. 'Just when I was getting to like having a little brother,' she mused silently and shook her head. Soun nodded his head, and would not allow himself to give his usual waterworks.

"And mom, pops, I'm sorry to disappoint you guys. Thanks for everything. I believe this also takes care of Ucchan's engagement to me, but have to find a way to repay the dowry pops accepted."

Genma was still angry. He would not look at his son. What was the foolish boy thinking? As for Nodoka, she only reached across the table to hug her son.

Ranma was surprised, but soon returned the embrace. The only time he had hugged his mother had been when she was still under the impression that he was Ranko. He found the warmth very pleasant, but did not linger in it. He let go shortly, and met his mother's tear-filled eyes with a forced smile.

Then, without another word, he was out the backyard, over the wall, and gone. He took nothing, only the clothes on his back and his memories, abandoning everything that might have served as a reminder of this place he had believed would become his home.

Akane looked towards where he disappeared over the wall. He had not spoken a single word to her. He must've been infuriated with her, so why did he protect her?

No one said anything for a long time.

Nodoka suddenly remembered about the incident in the dojo just a few hours ago, and idly wondered if it had anything to do with what just happened.

σσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσ

As the bus came to a jolting stop, Kiima awoke immediately. Quickly scanning the bus, she saw that there were very few passengers on board. It was approaching twilight.

Stretching and standing up, she headed to the rear and went down the steps of the doorway. The bus hissed, its double-panes closing behind her, and pulled away from the stop. Kiima had instinctively leaned forward to avoid having her wings caught. She wore a pair of black silk pants with a red phoenix climbing up one leg. The day before she went to the docks, she had found it at a clothing shop in the nearest village where she switched her unique armor for more human-looking clothing, to avoid attention. For her top, she wore a cleverly sewn shirt Ellis had handmade for her. It contained two slits that were concealed by overlapping cloth, and in the event that she was to change back with hot water, her wings would not shred through her top.

She slipped a folded piece of paper out of her pocket, taking time to admire her delicate hands and fingers. She was unable to spend much time in the body of the Tendo girl, but now she took time to marvel at the softness and warmth of human flesh. But realizing the strange sight she was making for passing strangers, she concentrated on the piece of crumpled paper in her fingers instead.

It was an address and directions to a Japanese contact. A _human_ contact.

There were very few cases in the recorded history of Mount Phoenix in which an outsider became a citizen. And even more rarely, a few of these outsiders had taken positions that were of higher status.

This contact was formerly one of these people. He was an old Healer, who had studied under Kyo. Though Kyo was a scribe, the young man was repeatedly chosen as a potential Master, a position just under the authority of the High Council itself. However, he had politely declined each time. So when he had chosen to take the human as his own apprentice, no one spoke against the taboo.

Eventually, the outsider had grown wistful and depressed. He led a happy life in the mountain, lived better than a commoner, much to the disdain of a lot of citizens and nobles. But his isolation from other human contact eventually drove him into a despairing misery, and he finally left the mountain to rejoin human society.

The nobles had made a fit at this. They accused him of espionage, said he was returning with valuable information about Phoenix Mountain, and was endangering its residents. It took the combined efforts of Kyo, his colleague Ellis, and several right-branching officials to quell the nobles. Kiima herself had never met the human in person.

Now she made her way to the contact's estate.

It seems that Kyo had contacted the man and the outsider had agreed to take Kiima in for however long she needed. Kiima didn't know whether or not she could trust the human, but she had no doubt about Kyo's judgment, so she had agreed with gratitude.

And now she made her way to his dwelling.

σσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσ

Ranma had not really considered what to do after his reckless performance. The act itself was a spur-of-the-moment thing, and he had no idea why he had done so.

'I guess I really _do_ love her...but too late. All I can do is set things right,' he now thought as he leapt from roof to roof.

But right now, with the immediate issue of his engagement settled, he had a pressing matter to take care of. The strange spell he had underwent when he was in the Tendo dojo.

Ranma had never had a huge problem with controlling his anger. After the soul of ice training Cologne had given him, he had had much confidence in his control. But in just this one day, he had nearly lost it due to his own anger. Just thinking about how close he had come to striking out, how had had _wanted_ to crush Ryouga's throat and possibly even hurt Akane, caused Ranma to shake involuntarily.

And then there was how he had found Akane's betrayal out in the first place. That was the strangest mystery of all, and at first he had avoided thinking about it because of Akane. But now that he could find no reason to avoid assessing the strange occurrence, he unwillingly began to wonder what was wrong with him. He had no doubt that this was somehow connected to his near loss of control, and there was probably no use in trying to self-diagnose his problems. There was only one person to go to whenever strange things like this happened.

Ranma sprung off the final rooftop and landed on the streets. He was in front of the Neko-Hanten.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Shampoo was wiping down all the tables, getting ready for tonight's dinner rush. Busily setting up utensils and chairs, she ignored Mousse. Or tried to.

" Xian Pu, why do you continue to stay here? Isn't it obvious enough, already? The incident in China is proof that he loves the Tendo girl, is it not? "

"Stupid Mousse, shut up. No know what you talking about," Shampoo retorted. But it was a half-hearted response; she could no longer deny the obvious truth. She had been there on the mountain when Ranma had given his confession. And after her enslavement then newfound freedom, she herself had changed.

And now, here she was again, back in Japan. Wiping tables and setting them with that stupid laced apron on, taking orders and waiting on customers, all for what? She didn't know what to do anymore. Being reunited with her homeland after so long, only to be torn away so soon again, thrown back into this horrible little island; life was cruel.

The door jingled open behind her. Shampoo sighed. Another stupid Japanese customer; she was sick and tired of their language and customs.

"Saotome! How _dare_ you come here! I'll kill you!"

Shampoo spun around, strangely mixed feelings plaguing her immediately. This man did not love her. But he was here. She couldn't allow herself to hope. But he was here. He came!

Mousse was in mid-air already.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Ranma finally worked up enough courage to go in.

He'd been into the Neko-Hanten countless times before, of course. He never felt afraid or threatened, and today was no different.

But to go in was to admit to himself something he wasn't eager to accept.

'There's something wrong with me, goddamn it!' he thought. 'If I just pretend like I'm fine and walk away now...what'll happen to me? Or worse, what'll happen to anyone who just happens to piss me off again?'

He took a breath and pushed the door open. No turning back. Ranma had to find out what was wrong with himself.

"Saotome! How _dare_ you come here! I'll kill you!"

'Shit,' he thought. He'd forgotten about this part.

Shampoo had her back on him when he had entered, oblivious to his presence. When Mousse had announced his threat, her back had visibly tensed. Now she turned around, both fear and hope in her eyes.

Mousse had been standing in the back of the room, but now he leaped over several tables and dashed toward Ranma.

Time slowed to a crawl again, a familiar sensation that brought with it immense dread for Ranma. He knew what was going to come next. And he was terrified.

'It's just Mousse. That blind, idiotic duck-boy does this all the time. No big deal. No biggie. Just calm the hell _down_!' he tried to convince himself. Then he realized that he didn't really care. He was getting pissed off. 'Shit.'

Then the floor was rushing up to meet him.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Cologne hopped away and landed on a table, perched on her staff.

Ranma sank to his knees, and then fell forward onto the ground.

" What—you old bag, I could have handled him! " Mousse shouted.

" Quiet, stupid child! You don't even know how close you were to dying. Call the good doctor and tell him to come right away. " Cologne hopped back over to Ranma to examine his crumpled form.

Mousse grumbled threateningly as he hurried away to obey. Cologne gave a wary sigh and leaned back, tilting her head up in thought, while still perching on her staff.

"I was afraid this would happen," she said. She turned to look Shampoo. The girl had an inquiring expression.

" What's wrong with Ranma now, Elder? "

" Let's wait until Doctor Tofu gets here before I start explaining, granddaughter. I'd like to confirm my suspicions with a healer, just to be sure ," Cologne replied.

Shampoo simply nodded. The next few moments were spent in silent waiting and pondering. Cologne seemed to be studying Ranma, but her eyes did not seem to be focused directly at him. Used to dealing with such strangeness in her life by now, Shampoo had taken the last ten minutes in stride. But she was admittedly growing worried for Ranma. It seemed like something was wrong with him, and it was something that her grandmother was already suspicious of. This was getting interesting.

Without being instructed to do so, Shampoo went to the entrance and flipped the sign to display the "closed" side. They didn't need any distractions at the moment. Mousse returned, and after a good bop on the head for his complaints, he began to sweep the floor.

Fifteen minutes passed before Doctor Tofu finally showed up. He leaned his bicycle against a pole outside and entered the restaurant.

"Hello Shampoo, hello Mousse," he greeted as he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose reflexively. Shampoo bowed to her former employer with a smile, and Mousse merely grunted. Noticing Ranma, Tofu turned to Cologne. "Cologne-san, is Ranma alright? Is it really...?"

"I'm afraid he has obtained the condition we discussed earlier, Doctor, but I wanted you to come check as well. If so...we have some trouble in our hands."

Doctor Tofu bent over the boy and touched several points on his body. Then, he sat back and stared at Ranma. Shampoo noticed that he was studying Ranma the way Cologne was, as if his eyes were focused elsewhere yet boring directly at him.

A few seconds later, Tofu stood and let out a sigh.

"I'm afraid he's displaying the symptoms. When he came here, did he...?"

"He was about to strike Mousse down. None of his usual taunts, he grew angry right away. I hit his sleeping point before he became unstable. And as for his appearance here in the first place...I'd say he's already noticed it himself."

Tofu crossed his arms across his chest, one hand absently reaching up and adjusting his glasses. His expression was becoming more troubled by the second.

"Then there's no doubt about it. He'd been affected."

Shampoo was unable to hold back her curiosity any longer.

" Grandmother, what's wrong with Ranma? What's going on? "

Mousse also seemed to be attracted, and he stopped sweeping to join the group surrounding the unconscious boy. A new weakness in his foe, perhaps?

Cologne didn't bother sending the boy away again, his hearing ability was exemplary and he would've learned about it later anyway.

" Shampoo, Doctor Tofu and I have been having some concerns ever since Ranma went to Mount Phoenix. We never expected Ranma to face Saffron himself. We've had a theory, but...up until now, we weren't sure about our suspicions. "

" What suspicions? Spill it out already, old bag, what curse has Saotome gotten now? "

Mousse was answered by a smacked in the face.

" As I was saying, no human in recorded history has ever faced Saffron in battle and survived, so there was no way to be sure. Xian Pu, do you remember about the origins of the people of Phoenix Mountain? "

" Yes, Elder. You once told me that the Phoenix people were once human, but slowly evolved because of the Cursed Springs. "

Cologne nodded.

" That's right, I did say that. That is how the teachings of Joketsuzoku go. However, some people, including Doctor Tofu and me, do not believe that the powers of the springs are enough to account for such rapid mutation. But I don't want to get into that right now...to put it simply, we think that the cause of the changes in the people of Mount Phoenix is the same cause for Ranma's illness right now. And we believe that this cause is Saffron's aura. "

Shampoo was still confused.

" But what's wrong with Ranma? I didn't see anything strange when he came in, Elder had put him to sleep right away. "

" Of course you can't see it, only we can. There have been some changes to his ki. We can't determine whether the alterations are unhealthy or not, but we assumed that it would have caused physical and mental changes, as well. A person's ki is vital to one's life-force; to introduce a change would alter the whole being considerably. " Cologne shook her head, still a little disbelievingly. " The stubborn boy did win eventually, but he was exposed to Saffron's ki at its full extent for a prolonged amount of time. No human has ever done so; there was no certain way to predict the effects. For all we knew, there could have been no side-effects at all. But now we know that's just wishful thinking. "

Doctor Tofu spoke in surprisingly fluent Chinese, surprising the two younger amazons.

" We suspected that he might become more hostile and aggressive, easily aggravated, and also prone to depression. Of course, his ki imbalances would also be pretty detectable if you know what to look for. But aside from that, we have no more an idea that you do what else might be changed. We simply don't have the knowledge or means to make an accurate diagnosis. "

Silence followed the finished explanation. It was a lot to take in, and each had their own thoughts and reactions. The two older people were both worried and interested, though it was strange that Cologne would be. Shampoo was, of course, worried, but also confused. Did this change anything for her? Mousse was busy trying to decide whether the change was advantageous to him or not.

Ranma began to stir on the ground. Tofu broke into everyone's contemplations.

" The sleeping point's wearing off. As we are right now, we're unable to help Ranma much. I can use shiatsu to pacify him, but I don't know how much of an effect it'll have on him. I suggest that we all head to my mentor's estate to ask for his advice. He is very knowledgeable in this area, and he was the one who helped me in my studies of Mount Phoenix. "

There was a mutual agreement to this, excluding Mousse, who was instructed to stay behind and watch the shop anyway. He muttered and went up the stairs as Tofu-sensei pressed his thumbs against Ranma's skull somewhere behind his ears.

Ranma's eyes fluttered open a few moments later, appearing unnaturally tranquil.

"...Uh..." he groaned, his hand reaching up to his head. "Huh...? Tofu-sensei, why are you here...?" Ranma inquired, still seeming a little out of it.

Cologne sighed.

"Guess we have some explaining to do," Tofu said, smiling.

σσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσ

As the group was leaving the Neko-Hanten, Kiima had just gotten on the bus to Tokyo.

Now, navigating through the winding streets, the currently red-haired girl was intent on searching for a certain residence. After having been at it for quite a while, she found that her mind was drifting back to ponder her current situation.

King Saffron was a child again. After the outsider had arrived, she had tried her best to protect her king with her life. But it was all to no avail. She had failed her duties as a High Sentry of the Phoenix Empire. But not only that, she also failed her duties as her king's guardian.

After his rebirth, the royalties had quite suddenly decided to entrust his care to the nobility. It was the custom of Mount Phoenix that the king be raised by the Priestess and educated by the nobles. This arrangement in itself was inadequate from the start; the nobles always spoiled the young king in the wrong ways, resulting in a selfish and ill-tempered youth for king. But that was the way it was done for as long as anyone could remember, long before Kiima was ever born. The right-branch had no say in this matter, only stood firm to their duties and obeyed the High Council, trusting the Priestess to weed out as much corruption as she could.

But now this. And then, there was the issue with Tanustu.

The self-proclaimed king.

After the attack of the outsiders, Tanustu had called an Assembly, a traditional hearing of the Phoenix culture. Everyone attended to it, young or old, right- or left-branched, noble or not. There, he had declared that the Mountain was in danger of outside attack and must gain a means of protecting itself. He declared himself the temporary leader of Mount Phoenix until the aggressors were all sought out and executed. The High Council, to everyone's alarm, and passed the motion unanimously. None of the royalties objected, and the Priestess herself did not have enough power to overrule the decision.

And just like that, the new king had taken over.

Of course, everyone knew the whole event was sabotaged. The High Council would never have agreed to such an absurd motion; they were somehow being held in check. And it all had something to do with Saotome.

And that was why Kiima was now here in Japan, seeking out the very boy who destroyed the life Kiima had dwelt in. She had to find out what was going on; for the sake of her people, and for the sake of her friends who depended on her. As long as that corrupt councilman was in rule, all the right-branches were in danger. They could no longer depend on the High Council or the royalties.

A splash sounded quite close to her, but Kiima ignored it, still trying to puzzle out the situation.

"Hey, you!" someone shouted at her.

Kiima growled, and finally looked up from the ground. 'Probably some street thugs. Just what I needed,' she thought.

Into a pair of green eyes.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Ranma had been walking on the fence again as Tofu-sensei led the way to his colleague's house. The group consisted of just Doctor Tofu, Cologne, Ranma, and Shampoo. The four of them had taken a train, and were making their way through the streets of Tokyo wasting little time.

A second ago, they had finally come to a bridge that connected the business district with the residential area. Ranma had hopped from his footing onto the railing of the bridge. Unfortunately, the exact length of steel he chose as a landing point was wet. He had slipped quite ungracefully and fell into the water below.

Tofu-sensei chuckled, while Cologne shook her head exasperatedly and Shampoo giggled.

"That what airen get for showing off," Shampoo stated matter-of-factly, crossing the bridge. Then her smile froze.

The trio halted immediately, but Ranma, now a girl, didn't notice and she grumpily waded to the side. Shaking some water off, she looked up to see the tensed forms of Shampoo and Cologne and immediately sensed trouble.

'Great, what now?' she thought, and leaped back onto the bridge.

She landed in front of her three companions, but a mass of red caught her eye.

'Oh no. No friggin' way,' he thought.

Crossing the bridge from the other side was a mirror image of herself with her pig-tail undone and different clothing. Was it an imposter? Or...was it _that_ girl again...? No way! It had to be someone copying her.

The girl seemed to be deep in her own thought, however. She was leisurely walking across the wooden overpass as if she meant to slip pass them without notice.

"Hey, you!" Ranma shouted.

The girl stopped ten paces away and looked up. Her eyes widened with surprise, then immediately after with recognition.

"Saotome!" she shouted, hostility filling her voice.

"Who the hell are _you_?" Ranma demanded.

Shampoo and Cologne were at Ranma's side now, Shampoo in her battle stance. Ranma herself was tense and watching for signs of an attack.

The girl bared her teeth.

"Anooo...am I interrupting?"

The whole group on the bridge faced the direction from which the second red-head had crossed. An elderly man was standing there, looking hesitant to approach.

"Sensei!"

"Healer Darrekel?"

"Elder Darrekel?"

Doctor Tofu, the stranger, and Cologne had all spoken at the same time. Surprise registered on each of their faces, and the old man bowed.

"Na-Nani?" Shampoo stuttered.

Ranma groaned in frustration. "Someone mind explaining what's going on _now_?"

σσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσσ

Version 1.0

Ok, that was a bit rushed too, so it might read out a little awkward. But I wanted to finish ASAP, so yeah, there you go! Part 2 of Chapter 1, finally finished. Stay put, Chapter 2 is up and coming!


End file.
